April 28, 2009

First thing we do, we knock over Wal-Mart

The signs of impending doom are
everywhere. Swine Flu in Mexico. ChiComs fleeing dollars and buying
gold. And of course, the undead could spring up at any time.

Yet people still are acting as if the
proper response to disaster is to loot. How many times has one heard
this kind of plan:

“First thing we do, we go to Wal-Mart
and rob the place. They have food, camping gear, guns and
ammunition.”

Great idea. Like no one else will do
the same thing.

As we saw with Hurricane Katrina, even
the police joined in the fun. Gee, they have badges and are already
well armed. Either they will stop the looting (because it is their
job) or they will join in, in which case you still won’t get
anything.

And then of course there’s the ammo
shortage.

For those that aren’t aware, right
now there is an ammunition shortage. If you want 9mm, .38 Special or
.45 ACP (to name but a few) and you live in Lansing, you are out of
luck. Wal-Mart doesn’t have any. Dunhams is out. Meijer is out.
Classic Arms has some (expensive) stuff, but their limit is one box
per customer per day. And, given their considerable firepower, I
wouldn’t recommend trying to rob them, either.

So even if you are the first looter
through the door (and you don’t get shot), you’re not going to
get anything for your trouble.

No, the proper thing to do is have some
on hand. The ammo shortage is expected to wind down as the hoarders
get sated and the ammo producers add extra shifts.

When that happens, buy an extra box or
two and set it aside. Do this each time you go shopping and in no
time, you will have a healthy reserve.

Which brings us to the larger point
about disasters: The worst thing that can happen is for society to
come apart. Humans are social animals. We need each other to
survive. Civilization is fragile, but also reparable. It can take
huge disruptions and recover. In the event of a pandemic or zombie
outbreak, the goal should be to keep as much of civilization intact
as possible and one of the cornerstones of that order is respect for
each other’s property.

Looting and hoarding will only speed
the total collapse. Instead of knocking over Wal-Mart, you should be
defending it – it and other stores with needed food and supplies.
Help such civil authorities as are still functioning to distribute
and protect these supplies. If there are no authorities, form one
with your neighbors. The communities that did best during Katrina
were the ones whose members banded together and offered mutual
support.

The time to prepare for a disaster is
when things are going well. By the time it crosses your mind that
raiding the local big box retailer is a good idea, things have
already slipped too far for it to do you much good.